


chop today, gone tomorrow

by nairwal



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Character Study, Coda, Episode: s14e09 A Woman's Right to Chop, Gen, Hair, Haircuts, Identity, Original Character(s), Post-Episode: s14e09 A Woman's Right to Chop, Season/Series 14, Self-Acceptance, Sexuality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 04:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21502006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nairwal/pseuds/nairwal
Summary: Dee only wallows in misery for a few hours after chopping off most of her hair with blunt scissors.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	chop today, gone tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, oops. I watched the leaked episode. I fear this ep — if things go as expected — will be overshadowed by Big Mo. So, no biggie. My attempt here is to empahsise that our hair doesn't have to define us if we don't want it to. Maybe I'm biased, with my shaved head and all. Oh well. This is dumb, but I just wanted to write something. It's been too long.
> 
> I haven't edited this. Any and all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Update 21/11: Okay, so there was no over-shadowing. I stand corrected. Have fun reading!

Dee only wallows in misery for a few hours after chopping off most of her hair with blunt scissors. That's all it took, really. The initial mania that had taken hold of her has softened out. The rest of the gang haven't said a word.

The jagged and uneven tufts of her hair — or, what's left of it — stick out at strange angles, dangling over her ears and eyes, and Dee tries her best to ignore them as she carts herself along to a barber and tattoo shop somewhere just on the outskirts of the city.

The shop is welcoming, the aroma of fruity shampoo greeting her as she enters, and live with a quiet chatter between barber and customer. The walls are pinned with various posters and framed images; of models, hair, tools and equipment, as well as a couple of tasteful ads. The room expands beyond the small reception area, where white leather couches sit tucked neatly against the front windows, and the barbers weave around the saloon chairs and bright lights, spraying and snipping expertly.

The glittering linoleum floor squeaks beneath Dee's sneakers as she stands before the empty reception counter. The upbeat melody of a pop song emanates from somewhere behind the wooden door marked 'staff room' in a stark, yellow label. Dee taps the silver bell on the surface of the counter to gather attention and exhales a noisy breath.

Dee fears that she has made a horrible mistake, cutting her hair like this. She knows it'll grow back as it always does, in the end, but the worry still sits unfamiliar in her stomach. She can't help but feed her inner anxiety. What if she hates the haircut she is given? What if it makes her look different? What if the gang make fun of her, more so than they had done earlier, even despite the fact they've accepted that women can do what they like with their hair? Why is her worth somehow tied to the hair on her head at all?

Her thoughts are interrupted by the wide, dimpled smile of a gorgeous dark-skinned woman who enters through the staff room door. It swings shut behind her without a creak. Her lanyard, hanging loosely around her neck, proudly displays her name and adjoining photograph. Dee smiles in response, automatic, and the dimples in the woman’s cheeks deepen.

“Hi,” The woman says kindly, “I'm René. Do you have an appointment with us today?”

Dee shakes her head. “No. No, am I supposed to make one before I show up?”

René pulls out a clipboard with a sheet of paper attached at the top. “No, no, this is cool. Don't worry about it. We take walk-ins. Good for business, you know?” She hands Dee the clipboard over the counter, pressing an ink pen into Dee's hands also. “If you could just fill this out and return it to me once you're finished. It won't take long, I promise. It's just for details.”

Dee takes them and retreats to the seating area, sinking into one of the white sofas. The questions aren't anything too intrusive — just general stuff. Name, date of birth, reason for visit. At the bottom of the page sits a signature line. Dee signs it. Finished, she returns to the counter.

René takes it with another smile. “Thanks!” She rips it from the clipboard and types on her computer keyboard. After a second, she meets Dee's eyes. “So. A haircut?”

“Yeah.” Dee pauses, gaze drawn by René's flawless black braids. They're neat and long, reaching her waist. They're embellished by colourful beads and plastic diamonds. Dee clears her throat, feeling her cheeks heat with sudden embarrassment. “I had a bit of a crisis.”

René just giggles, high and sweet. “Oh, we've all been there. Do you have a style in mind to fix it?”

And Dee realises that no, she doesn't, actually. Her face must express her thoughts, because René hums thoughtfully. “Would you mind if I made a suggestion? Feel free to say no.”

“Go ahead.”

“I think... Okay. You're really cute. I love the blonde on you. Natural?” Dee nods, mouth slack, just a little. “Awesome. So, I think we should keep the blonde. But we should definitely treat you to a... short back and sides. Oh, I can see it already! Here, look.” René smiles to herself, pulling out a stack of photographs from a drawer behind the counter and presenting Dee with a slightly washed-out image of a girl with said hairstyle. It's really short, but Dee admits that it's super cute. Daunting, but cute.

René catches Dee's eyes. “As I said, it's completely up to you. We can trim it so it looks more presentable. We can do this hairstyle, or a few others. We could even shave it if you want. Changing our hair is always a scary thing, especially if we're unsure.”

The music from the staff room has picked up, lyrics intangible but smooth, René is still smiling, dimples creasing deep into her cheeks, and Dee feels, at once, in control. The few hours of panic after cutting her hair today had been torturous; spent fretting over her appearance, her status, what people would think of her... None of that matters, in the end. Nothing except Dee's own perception. Her hair means nothing. Nothing at all.

“I want to do it,” Dee says, confidence building beneath the surface of her skin, and René explodes in excitement, guiding Dee to a stylist further into the room. She's pushed into one of the seats and is fussed over endlessly. With a few words shared between herself, René, and this stylist — Dee didn't catch her name. Penny? Petra? — the work on Dee's hair soon begins.

Throughout, René makes sure Dee is alright. With a sneaked glance here and a soft touch to the hand there, she calms Dee as the hair clippers buzz from her left ear to her right, and as her decision truly sinks in. With a bright smile that doesn't falter, and a sweet, pure kindness that turns Dee's stomach inside out, René becomes a part of the experience. And once it's over...

“I'm so happy for you, girl! You look so good,” She pats the top of Dee's head from behind the swivel chair, and then gently knuckles the shaved sides of Dee’s scalp with large eyes, “You look amazing, actually.”

Dee finds herself smiling. “Thank you.” She catches René's eyes in the mirror as the other stylist makes her way to the front of the shop to greet another customer. Dee murmurs, “So do you.” 

René, coy at once, eyelashes brushing her cheeks as she glances away, bites her bottom lip. Unaware, she kneads her fingertips into the muscle of Dee's shoulder blades. Dee pushes back into the touch. “You don't, by any chance, want to go for a drink?”

A warmth blooms in Dee's chest. “I know just the place.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> [Tumblr](https://lawriand.tumblr.com/other). [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/nairwal).


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